


Your Secret Complication

by servatia83



Series: Your Only Human Part [2]
Category: Deus Ex (Video Games), Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Established Relationship, I'm horrible at this tagging thing and this isn't making it better really, M/M, Post-Game(s), Scotland, Serbia - Freeform, spoilers obviously
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2017-09-14
Packaged: 2018-12-18 15:38:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11877600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/servatia83/pseuds/servatia83
Summary: This, by and large, makes sense on its own, even if it’s a part two, I suppose.In the middle of the summer, a lucrative offer sends Francis and Adam into a place in the middle of nowhere, where a forgotten chapter of history wages war on an unlikely future. Boy, I’m being poetic today. Don’t get used to it.





	1. Saving All My Words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _((So apparently this thing didn’t want to leave me alone. I … kind of saw that coming and vaguely threatened a sequel. I knew, you see, I was going to Ukraine and Serbia this year, into the middle of nowhere, and I had a feeling that something_ Deus-Ex _-ish would come from one of those. Now Ukraine will go into another fandom, but the places I saw in Serbia were so forsaken that they were ideal for a half-abandoned thought.  
>  The funny thing is, this idea isn’t new. I was torn last time between getting in deep about the crime that Francis was investigating, or this. Now I had no idea where I wanted to end up with it and gave up on it when the other path became clearer.  
> Title is taken from the Lacuna Coil song _A Current Obsession _. The chapter heading is from_ Cold Heritage _.  
>  I won’t update every day, it seems I always write when the office is empty. But at least I’m not going to leave the country in the extremely near future, so there’s improvement there.))_

He was submerged completely. His eyes closed, his breath held for a few heartbeats – longer than a normal human being would be comfortable with, nowhere near his limit. For one moment, an image assaulted him, and he was alone and cold and dying. But before he could react, a pair of hands, soft and gentle, pulled him upright and a body, settled between his spread legs, leaned over him, chest to chest, and the spectre vanished.

Adam opened his eyes. About an inch above him, Francis’s face hovered, his mouth slightly open, his eyes soft and wide. A drop of water clung to the lashes of his left eye, reflecting the dim light in a million colours. ‘Are you okay?’

He smiled and caught one of Francis’s hands that was squeezing his shoulder. The hacker’s hands were beautiful, long and slender and elegant – which was a good description for the man in general. Adam kissed his knuckles, painting a light blush on the pale cheeks. Still, after over half a year in which he’d touched him a lot more intimately than this, these small gestures would turn his cheeks red. Every single time. ‘I’m good,’ Adam said softly against his skin. For a long time, he hadn’t even realised that he was … well, not afraid of water per se, because showering had never done anything but relax him, but lying in water. Apparently he wasn’t as undamaged from his ordeal in the arctic as he had thought, and it had taken him a while to be able to relax in a bath. For some strange reason, swimming wasn’t a problem, maybe because he’d expected it to be, waited for fear to take him the day he’d walked into one of Scotland’s cold lakes to evade the scorching sun of an unusually hot July. But the combination of semi-darkness and water, no matter how warm, still threatened to freak him out. Francis’s solution would have been to leave the light at full strength, but Adam wanted to get rid of his irrational terror, and that would only happen if he faced it. He was getting there, too, and the main reason for that was right above him.

Said reason, however, wasn’t satisfied with his answer. ‘You remembered. Panchaea. Didn’t you?’ As always, he made him face the problem.

‘I’m all right, Francis. I didn’t come up screaming.’ Not anymore. They’d had that. Well, Adam hadn’t exactly screamed, but he’d barely put his head underwater when he’d re-emerged, sputtering and close to panic. Francis, being the brilliant man he was, had understood immediately, pulled him to his feet and hugged him until he stopped shaking like a leaf. Adam had felt like an idiot, Francis had been reassuring and calm and had proven yet again that the day he’d first met him had been the luckiest in his life, even if he’d never have guessed that then.

Francis relented. That was probably because it was still very early and he wasn’t a morning person. He settled against him, his head on Adam’s chest. ‘You’re not alone, Jensen. You’re safe.’

‘I know.’ He closed his eyes again, wrapped his arms around the other man, and sank a little lower into the water. It was cooling already, but still quite warm. ‘I know.’

He was on the verge of drifting to a light sleep when Francis swore under his breath. ‘Sorry, Adam. Infolink. What is it?’ That last was a lot less friendly and directed to whoever had the gall to call on an early Sunday morning. His expression changed from annoyed to shocked. ‘No! Don’t do that. I’ll come downstairs. Tell him to hold the line. It’s not like he can’t afford it.’ He swallowed and looked at Adam. ‘David wants to talk to me. He called the house and Fabian answered.’

‘And wanted to put him through to your infolink?’

‘Yes. Which would mean that David can reach me.’

‘You think he wants something?’

‘He always wants something, Jensen.’ Francis sighed. He stood, water running down his body, hair plastered to his face and a little below his shoulders. Adam admired the sight he presented, watched the man get out of the tub, skin glistening. ‘Let’s see what it is this time.’ Francis’s eyes narrowed. ‘I’m not going to do a single thing for him. Nothing. Nada.’

‘Francis. Talk to him before you send him a virus.’

‘Good idea. The virus part.’ Regretfully, Adam watched Francis dry himself off and throw on his clothes. ‘Come down after me, would you? I want you to take the phone from me and yell at him. That’ll give him pause.’

Ϡ

Frank had relaxed by the time Adam came down. While David was trying to sound casual – he _had_ sent a card, and Francis _had_  forgotten to answer, so he said he wanted to know if everything was all right – he didn’t buy that this was a social call. ‘So, Frank, I was wondering. I mean, you seem to be doing fine, what with your own security system that’s the new rage. I may even be interested in buying it.’

‘You moved to Rabi’ah,’ Frank pointed out. ‘Isn’t there a blissful lack of all sorts of crime, a haven of virtue and …’

‘You know as well as I do that it doesn’t work like that, Frank. And the thing is, even among the people in Rabi’ah, I’m a little … well.’

‘They know you’re a rich bastard who didn’t have to sell his grandmother and her dog to be able to live there.’ He grinned. ‘You’re welcome to buy the MANES, of course, but I have to see if you’re allowed to use it. I didn’t check the rules in Rabi’ah yet.’

‘I thought you might need that information. I’ll forward it to you. Can you meet me, say, the day after tomorrow?’

‘Meet you? I’ll just send the stuff over and I’ll guide you through the installation. It’s very easy and I have a contract with a parcel service, insurance for the transport won’t cost you extra.’

‘I’d prefer to do this in person, Frank. I’m inviting you to come. All expenses are on me, of course.’

Every single alarm bell in Frank’s head was blaring. ‘I don’t know.’

‘Or I come visit. I’ll be in and out of your sister’s house in no time at all.’

For some reason, that sounded infinitely worse. ‘No. I’m coming over. Just … can I bring a plus one? He might like to get a glimpse of the place.’

‘Sure, bring whoever you like. Frank … dare I ask … is this plus one a plus one as in a significant other?’

Frank smiled. This question was probably the first genuine David had said to him in this conversation. He’d seen him at his lowest, after jail and after a relationship that had been one drawn out nightmare. His performance had suffered and when David had asked about it, Frank’s control had flown out of the window and he’d told him every blasted detail he’d sworn he’d bury in his soul forever. The subject of their talk had never made it out of Frank’s office, but somehow he was sure it was one reason why David had been so tolerant of his attitude, his considerable talent aside. ‘Precisely.’ He laughed. ‘You’ll be pleasantly surprised, I think.’

‘I’ll need your …’

Frank pressed his knuckles against his forehead. ‘I know. You need my infolink. Connection’s on its way. See you in a few days.’ He passed Fabian’s phone back to its owner and clapped his hands together. ‘Congratulations, Jensen. You’ve won a free trip to Rabi’ah. We’re leaving in two days. Oh, the joy.’


	2. In This Peaceful Street of Mine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _((Chapter heading from_ The Lights of Our Street _by Deine Lakaien.))_

To say that Adam hadn’t enjoyed Prague would be an understatement. The city had tried to murder him in more ways than he could count, he had never felt so out of place or so unwanted. Golem City could, in another world, have become a refuge, but that wasn’t the reality of the place. It was a cancer in a broken body and he had felt glad to be back in Prague’s city proper when he finally got out of there. That was saying something. After Adam had relocated to Scotland, it had taken him a few months to stop looking over his shoulders at every turn.

The two days before his and Francis’s meeting with David Sarif had passed much more hectically than they’d have liked. The day they’d got the call, they’d planned to visit Sergio Bedoya. He was in the Union Prison Edinburgh, formerly known as the Her Majesty’s Prison. It had changed its name about a decade ago when Scotland had finally broken from the UK along with Northern Ireland and Gibraltar and re-joined the European Union. Not that this made much of a difference for the inmates. What made things worse was that Sergio had practically no ties to anyone outside. He took it in stride and said it was better than the homeless shelter, but there was no doubt that he was glad at least someone cared enough to travel all the way to Edinburgh for him once in a while.

Despite their brief time-frame, they had taken the trip. Neither Adam nor Francis trusted the guards to deliver a message to Sergio, and they didn’t want to leave him waiting. They had time enough to pack the next day. Adam was on leave for the next three weeks anyway. Not that either of them intended to stay in Rabi’ah that long. The plan was to hand over the hardware and be back on the way. They both knew that wasn’t going to happen, but Adam thought they couldn’t be blamed for hoping.

The short time for preparations meant that Adam had little time to wonder what exactly Rabi’ah would be like. He knew it wasn’t like Golem City. From what could be seen on the TV, it looked pretty enough, but outward appearance wasn’t worth a lot when it came to cities or people. He had to admit that he was curious. They had wondered aloud about taking a personal look before, so it wasn’t as inconvenient as Francis was trying to make it seem. Sure, they had other things to do, but these three weeks they had planned to have for themselves. David Sarif wasn’t going to get in the way of that.

‘World to Adam Jensen.’ He jumped and looked at Francis. The hacker clicked his tongue. ‘Where were you?’

Adam licked his lips. ‘Sure you want to know that? Maybe it’s not a place you want to discuss in public.’

Francis snorted. ‘Nah. I know that expression. This was more of a “Did I turn off the oven?”-look.’

‘Close enough. I wonder. About Rabi’ah. And what he wants.’

Francis sobered. ‘You and me both. I’ve got the invitation, by the way. Your call if we give it to him.’

‘Why mine?’

‘Because you’re the one with a grudge.’

‘Grudge? Me? Never.’ He shook his head. ‘You’re right. I hated what he did to me. But the thing is, if all this hadn’t happened, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. And I don’t just mean being alive. This mess was what brought us close. I wouldn’t change any of it if I could, because any change would mean you and I wouldn’t be a thing. Now call me soppy or selfish, but that’s not a price I’d pay even for peace.’

Francis looked at him. ‘You’ve been thinking about that, haven’t you? You … I don’t know what to say to that.’

Adam grinned. ‘I’ll mark the day you were speechless in my calendar, Pritchard.’

The other man opened his mouth, but the pilot’s voice cut across him. ‘We are now approaching the Muscat International Airport. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts.’

Francis made a face. ‘I’m telling you, we’re not going to like this.’

‘You’re a pessimist, Pritchard.’

‘I know David, Jensen, and you do, too. He … there’s more to this. Mark my words. This is like watching an accident in slow motion and being unable to stop it from happening.’

‘I didn’t know you’re clairvoyant on top of glum.’

‘Honestly, Jensen …’

‘Look. Maybe he’s just lonely. Has that occurred to you?’

‘Of course he’s lonely. He likes it that way. Want to bet? There’s a huge mess waiting for us, and he wants us to sort it out for him.’

‘I’ll bite. What’s the wager?’

‘Hell, no idea. Ah … I’ve got it. The winner gets to pick a band.’

‘Oh my, you’re really sure. Fine. But don’t complain when you inevitably lose.’

Ϡ

David was waiting for them at the exit. Adam was conspicuous enough to be the first person everyone spotted, so finding them in the gaggle of travellers wasn’t hard. Frank liked it fine that way. Being looked at made him want to vanish in the shadows. For a few seconds their former employer kept his gaze on Adam, then it shifted to Frank. Thoughts were visibly chasing each other in his mind, then he shook his head minutely. ‘Adam, what a surprise,’ his voice boomed when they approached him. ‘What brings you here? Want to move to Rabi’ah?’

Frank’s lips twitched. ‘Yeah. What a coincidence to be on the same plane.’

‘Indeed! But I thought you’d …’ He fell silent, looked at each of them in turn, and finally comprehension dawned on his face. ‘You and Adam? But you hate each other.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘Ah. You wanted to keep your relationship secret and made everyone think so.’

Frank snorted. Adam saved him from having to answer that. ‘Not exactly. This is recent.’

‘Yeah. No one’s more surprised than us.’

David looked stunned for one more moment before he collected himself. ‘Well, I’ll be. Come on, we’re taking a helicopter to Rabi’ah. Getting there from here’s a pain without.’

Frank bit down on a retort. Sarif had never known what a normal person lived like. He’d always been rich, and he always would be. His one, huge saving grace was that he’d often hired people who needed a hand rather than the ones head-hunters were usually after. That included him and Adam.

David kept chatting about Rabi’ah on the way to his helicopter. Then he chuckled. ‘You probably know all that, seeing how for a while it looked as if we’d all have to come here.’

‘Those of us with the necessary money,’ Frank said. ‘I could have done it, and Adam too, but we’d both have been broke. How many people here have nothing left because getting into Rabi’ah was so expensive?’

David looked at him. ‘A lot less than there would have been if the Human Restoration Act had passed. But yes, it isn’t cheap. You’ll know why when you see the place. Design, development, and construction have all cost a fortune, and until that’s been paid back that isn’t going to change. It’s like that with everything. So. Did you have any troubles getting the hardware here? Or is there anything I can’t use?’

‘No and no,’ Frank said. ‘Rabi’ah has no laws against security AIs, and none of the things I’m bringing with me are dutiable. Now if I were bringing them _out_  of Rabi’ah, things would be different.’

David chuckled. ‘Yes, well, I’m in luck then.’

‘Is there a high crime rate here? This is a serious question.’

‘No. I’m just getting paranoid, if that’s what you want to hear.’ He gestured to the helicopter. ‘There’s our ride. Enjoy the view.’

As soon as they were above the city, Frank had to admit that the place was beautiful. Judging from Adam’s expression, he felt the same way about it. The colours white and green dominated the place. There were vast parks, trees lining the streets offered shadow, and the buildings themselves were almost white, but not blinding. Both streets and buildings were curved, curling around each other in a beautiful if slightly impractical weave, but it was a right side better than any other city designed on a drafting table was. The enormous 3D printer that had created the city wasn’t visible, but Frank assumed it was in the centre, hidden underneath an enormous circular central square that supposedly could be opened to bring the thing out for repairs.

Despite his intention to remain wary, Frank let himself relax. Maybe Adam was right.

Their helicopter took them higher, high enough to have a good view of pretty much the entire city. David, seated across from them, leaned forwards. ‘The city proper is the large circular structure here in the middle. There to the south is a lot of our infrastructure. Gardens, shopping malls, cafés, restaurants. The hospital is near the centre of the main city, though. Closer to where people live. The district to the north is schools and a university, and what is pretty much L.I.M.B. clinic, even though they don’t call it that, obviously. That clinic, the hospital, and a smaller one in the southern district are connected by underground tunnels. Emergencies are flown, of course.

‘Housing areas are from about half the radius of the city outwards, in the centres you have some smaller shops, grocery stores and what not. Also a few adult education centres. They teach you everything you may want to learn. Cooking, photography, languages, how to use augs to the best effect. There are also a few research facilities that do not belong to the Rabi’ah university but are kind of subsidiaries of foreign universities. Scotland’s got one, too. They are mostly cultural studies institutes that want to observe the world’s biggest melting pot up close. Oh, and speaking of that, the embassies are also there. Most buildings there are embassies.’

‘Explains their design,’ Adam said. Indeed, they were built in very different styles, obviously according to their countries’ representatives’ cultures.

‘It’s a marvel. You have to go to the inner city with me, and to the southern district. You haven’t seen Rabi’ah until you’ve been there. Which brings me to the next question. How long can you stay?’

‘We’re on vacation, but we have plans for most of the time,’ Frank said. That wasn’t exactly a lie. They did have a plan not to do anything at all. ‘We can stay a couple of days, though, to get a feeling of the place.’

‘Good. I can’t wait to show you around.’

Ϡ

Their time in Rabi’ah was surprisingly relaxing. Francis installed the MANES in David’s home the evening they arrived, explained in detail how to work it the next morning, and let him show them around the city in the afternoon. They were sitting in a nice restaurant in the evening, talking about … nothing of consequence, really. How life was like in Scotland, what ties they’d had to the country to start with, Francis’s work as a writer for Picus and as the developer of an AI that was rapidly gaining popularity. By now, Adam was half convinced that there was no other reason why they were there, but everything from Francis’s tone to his posture said that he was on high alert. To David it probably wasn’t visible. Back in Detroit, Francis had always been wired. But Adam had seen him relaxed, at ease with himself and the world, and there was a vast difference between the two.

‘So, are you still in contact with anyone else of the company?’ Francis asked. ‘In particular, I wonder if you know where I could reach Faridah.’

David nodded. ‘I know, yes. She just … doesn’t generally want much to do with the people from back then. When everything collapsed, she had a hard time.’

‘Everyone had, especially augs.’

‘You knew she had an augment? Huh. She didn’t really tell a lot of people that.’

Francis shrugged. ‘She was one of the few people I was close with. I have something for her, though. If you won’t give us her contact, please pass it on.’

‘Sure, no problem. What would that be?’

‘You get one, too. There.’

David took the proffered envelope and looked inside. A slow smile formed on his face. ‘I must say, I’m more surprised about the invitation than about the fact that you’re getting married.’

Francis laughed. ‘It’s a very small affair, too, so feel free to feel honoured. You can count the guests on two hands. Our plan A was actually that just my sister would be there as our witness, but then it got out of hand.’

‘By out of hand he means that his sister put her foot down and said we cannot uninvite her husband,’ Adam added. ‘So we thought that there are actually a few people we would want to be there, and we decided to invite them after all. Still, we’d appreciate if this doesn’t end up on the news.’

‘Why, of course not. But I have to ask. Are you inviting me out of politeness and hope I’ll decline?’

Adam looked at Francis. ‘Why does everyone I’ve worked for and invite ask that?’

David laughed. ‘Ah, you haven’t changed, son. I’ll take that as a no. Now I’ll be happy to come, and I do think Faridah can’t resist that kind of message, either.’ David stowed the invitation in the inside pocket of his jacket. ‘Now here’s another question. Or a request.’ Adam saw Francis’s expression become guarded, and this time, David didn’t miss it. ‘You have, of course, no obligation to agree. But I honestly don’t know who else I could ask. Also, it’s a wonderful surprise that you’re here, too, Adam, I wouldn’t have sent Francis alone. And finding someone he can work with … well.’

‘Maybe you shouldn’t insult me if you need something from me,’ Francis said in a forced light tone.

‘Huh. Indeed. I ask you to take a flight to Vienna. There you will board a ship that takes you down the Danube to a little town called Apatin. On the ship, you will meet a certain Johanna Häberle. She lives in Kiel, her ancestors are from Apatin. Johanna’s mother is a very good friend of mine. She spent a lot of time in Detroit, and she moved back home to Apatin a few years ago to take care of their family business. She offered me a 25 % share of the company in exchange for certain information, which I have provided. Her daughter intends to join her but has hinted that her mother, in their talks, sounds weird. The Häberle online presence vanished about a year ago. It’s all gone. Apparently, a family friend advised them to take it down when the sword of Damocles that was Human Restoration Act was still hovering above us all, and he must have been thorough.

‘Now, all they have is a small intranet that supposedly isn’t at all connected to the internet. That’s why you can’t do this from home. What I want to know is this: Is anything illegal going on there, or are they just careful? Did whoever erased their online presence abandon them and are they clueless how to actually create a new one? Or was that person sloppy enough to make whatever homepage they had findable for someone like you, Frank?’

‘That last isn’t a problem. The rest … What sort of company is this? This is still the augmentation industry, isn’t it?’

David nodded. ‘Yes. Serbia’s never been a big player, the only company is, as I said, a family business. They were too small for Tai Yong. I bet you they didn’t even know they existed, since they never tried to expand past their little stretch of country.’

‘How do you run a company like that as a family business?’

‘It wasn’t their main business. They were an import/export company. They started importing augmentations, some members of the family went into the medical sector, and within it, into augmentation. Then they bought licenses and equipment, had a few ideas of their own, and that was all it took.’

‘So the plan is to disguise us as tourists?’

‘Pretty much. Yes. Only Johanna will know the truth. She knows that I’m sending help. Now your payment will be 20.000 credits each, no matter what result you bring to me. If this company is clean, you will receive a 1 percent share in addition.’

‘And you don’t think that that’s a reason to make it look better than it is?’

‘Maybe for someone else. Not you. Now all I need is for you to agree to do this.’

‘David, I didn’t take three weeks of vacation to work for someone else in that time,’ Adam said.

‘It’s like this. The trip starts the day after tomorrow. It takes ten days. You will be in Apatin for two of those. Before and after that, you’ll be visiting Budapest, Bratislava, some forsaken place in the puszta … This is a vacation, save for two days where I’d need you to look into this business. 20.000 credits for two days of work, and the rest of the time is a nice little journey you get for free. That is hardly an unfair offer.’

‘You’ve never been an unfair employer,’ Francis said. ‘We’ll talk about this. I know we don’t have much time, but we need to discuss this in private.’

David nodded. ‘Of course. But please, do answer me soon. If you should decide to go, I have to buy two people out of the trip so you can take their places.’

‘And if we don’t?’

David raised his arms. ‘Then at least I had a chance to see for myself that you’re both well. If you believe nothing else, believe that I am glad about that.’


	3. Step from the Road to the Sea to the Sky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _((This chapter heading is a line from the song_ Snow _by Red Hot Chilli Peppers.))_

The promise to answer soon was harder to keep than either Adam or Francis had thought. The problem wasn’t so much that they couldn’t come to an agreement. Well that _was_ kind of the problem, but not the usual way. Initially, Francis had wanted to refuse and Adam had told him they could at least humour David. Then, he had let himself be persuaded that the entire thing was possible a death trap David had no idea about. At the same time, Francis had started wondering if it couldn’t actually be kind of fun to take a free journey to Serbia. Adam had pointed out that given the flyer for the trip David had given them, the ship was probably full of ancient, presumptuous Germans that clamoured for the good old days.

And so they found themselves driving back to Peterculter, and while David hadn’t tried to coax an answer from them again – not even when he bade them good-bye at the airport – they’d have to make up their minds that night. Francis let out a growl from the steering wheel. ‘I’ll say what you refuse to say then. Neither of us really _wants_ to do this. Because when we get home, you’ve almost got to go back to the office, because we both know we don’t owe him anything, because any debt we’ve had has been paid a long time ago. But that’s not how it feels, is it? I’ll admit it. Deep down, I feel I only have the freedom to choose because of him, because he gave me a chance when I was at the bottom. And you, too.’

‘That … sums it up better than I like.’ Adam watched Francis’s face, trying to read his mind. ‘And 20.000 credits isn’t nothing.’

‘No, but we don’t need it.’

‘Pritchard, I’m not you. I’m not the inventor of a crazy talking AI that’s gaining popularity mostly because it’s sassy, I work for a small police force.’

‘Jensen! It’s not like you live off my money, that’s completely ridiculous. I may earn a bit more than you, but you came with considerable savings that I used up pretty much completely trying to survive Detroit. And neither of us is in a position where we have to make money an issue in our relationship.’

‘No. You’re right. I just …’

‘You want to find an actual reason to agree. A better one than that, for some irrational reason, we’re still in his pocket and always will be.’

Adam grinned. ‘Something along those lines. God, Pritchard. I really don’t want to.’

‘Tell me about it. I’ve even got a good motivation to stay the hell away.’

‘Yeah? Tell me.’

Francis’s cheeks glowed in the late morning light. ‘I … ah. God. You’re going to laugh.’

‘I promise I won’t.’

‘I would, if our roles were reversed.’

‘Come on, Pritchard.’

He licked his lips. ‘I … am one of the few people … you see, Abi and I … my parents, they tried to keep us safe. They did a horrible job with that as much as everything else, but … they wouldn’t let us, and then I was too scared, and …’

‘For God’s sake, are you going to get to the point there?’

‘Jensen, I can’t swim.’

Adam opened his mouth and closed it. ‘While that is less than ideal, I promise you that I have enough strength to get us both out of the Danube. We’re not going into the middle of the Pacific.’ He frowned slightly. ‘That explains why you refused to get further into that lake than your knees.’

‘Yeah. And I’m not frightened. I just thought you should know. So if that ship does sink, for whatever insane reason, you’ll have to rescue me.’

Adam reached over, resting his hand in Francis neck and caressing his hairline with his fingertips. ‘As if you wouldn’t be the first thing on my mind if anything were to happen. So. We’re going to do this, aren’t we?’

‘I fear so, yes. Looks like we’re doomed.’ Francis glared at the road ahead of them. ‘If the people on the ship are presumptuous, can I throw them overboard?’

‘No. Because if one of them pulls you down with them, you’re in trouble. Let me do the throwing.’

Francis’s expression lit up. ‘Fine by me. Please tell David. I won’t be able to listen to his exhilaration and drive at the same time.

Ϡ

Frank could sense that his sense of foreboding had infected Adam for longer than just a few moments. The thing was, Frank wasn’t much of a traveller at the best of times. He’d never left the States, rarely left Detroit. Hell, given the option, he’d hardly left his apartment back home. Somehow Scotland had charmed him enough to want to see the country. He fully planned to take a tour of the Isle of Skye. On foot. He should get his head checked out.

The ship docked at the side of the river was large and looked like a luxurious prison. ‘What the hell are we doing here?’ he asked softly.

‘Watching people, right now.’

‘And judging them. Or I am. Look at that one, for example.’ An elderly woman with sparse hair, dyed in a red nature never would have forced on anyone, stood at the railing with a sour expression. She wore that hair in a flimsy, longish halo, light shining through it. Frank had first thought it was a weird, see-through hat. A man, probably her husband, approached her, and she said something with an expression that couldn’t mean anything good. She also gestured in Frank and Adam’s direction. ‘I’m going to strangle the lot of them.’

‘Liar.’

‘Well, I’m more likely to use poison, granted.’

‘I’ll warn the kitchen.’

‘Jensen, we can still get out of this.’

‘But we won’t.’

Frank sighed deeply. ‘No. We won’t. Come on, might as well.’

‘If this isn’t who I’m waiting for, I’ll swim the way down.’ The voice behind them was amused and had a heavy accent. Frank turned and took the young woman in. She was short and looked like she could outrun and -wrestle your average wolf. She grinned at them both with a fitting predatory expression. ‘You’re who David sent me, eh?’

‘Yes. You must be Johanna Häberle.’

‘The same. Even without David’s announcement I’d have known who you are. Heavens, everyone who hasn’t lived behind the moon does.’ She growled. ‘This was a terrible idea. I should have just flown. But it’s too late for that now, so let’s go.’

They followed her on board, where she exchanged a few words in a language Frank couldn’t place at all with the receptionist. ‘Leave your passports at the reception, please. You’ll get it back when we leave the ship.’

‘I’d rather not,’ Adam said curtly.

‘When we cross the Serbian border, they will control the passports here at the reception. With any luck, we can sleep.’

Adam looked at Frank, who shrugged. ‘Let’s … try and not attract attention the first day, how does that sound?’

Adam relented, even though obviously he didn’t want to. Johanna took their key from the receptionist and led them through a corridor to the far end. ‘This cabin is for three, but you two are alone in it. Apparently, in Apatin, you share an apartment for four. David really wants his answers badly.’

‘Can we ask you a few things?’

Johanna nodded. ‘Gladly. I’ll wait for you at the bar. Get yourselves situated and meet me there.’

Ϡ

Adam listened attentively as Johanna told them more or less what they already knew from David. Not so much because of the information he hoped to get from her, but because he wondered what they were doing there. Things didn’t add up, Francis and he had decided. There was no apparent reason why they hadn’t flown to Apatin – or, if asking for such a direct transport was too much, flown to Beograd and taken a train from there. Why he and Francis were going in the first place wasn’t entirely clear to him, either. Neither of them had any experience with company politics.

‘That explains your ties to Apatin,’ Francis said. At last, Adam’s attention had shifted away from Johanna. ‘But I don’t get where we come in. If this is your company, what do you need with a hacker?’

Johanna leaned forwards over their table. ‘I need you because I believe that someone you are going to meet wants to use my company for something illegal. I want proof.’

‘And what exactly would that illegal thing be?’

‘Experimental augs, black market … For all I know, he could be growing and selling organs. I don’t know. But he is bloody fishy, he hates me but pretends otherwise, and my foolish family thinks he’s the best guy ever.’

‘Does that happen to be the one who took down the Häberle homepage?’ Adam asked.

‘Yes. That would be him.’

‘What makes you think that he hates you?’ Francis asked.

Look. He can’t know that I suspect him. But I ask you, once we are there, to dig your fingers into our computers and find out what you can. In the meantime, work with him. And be careful. I don’t know if he’s dangerous, too, or just corrupt.’

‘One last question,’ Adam said. ‘How much of this did you tell David Sarif?’

‘I told him that I believe someone is trying to compromise our company. That’s pretty much all.’

I small smile tugged at Adam’s lips. ‘One point for you, Pritchard.’


	4. I Can’t Forget, Can’t Get the Fever Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _((This chapter heading comes from the song_ Electricity _by Delain.))_

Immediately after their talk with Johanna, Francis set up cameras in their room. Adam was pretty certain that this wasn’t exactly permitted, but he refrained from pointing that out, sensing his unease. That the hacker got into a mild altercation less than a minute after they’d entered the restaurant – apparently, someone had forgotten to tell the waiter that this was their table – was another indication that he didn’t trust any part of this entire arrangement. Other than that, the trip started out calm enough.

They left the ship in Hungary, in a place called Mohács. From there, they would take a bus to first Pécs and then on to Apatin. Adam had to admit that before this, he hadn’t heard of any of those places. Maybe the cliché was true that Americans didn’t know anything about Europe. Or maybe these places weren’t all that significant to begin with. ‘Why on earth do we have to take a bus now?’ Francis asked. ‘David said … Stop laughing.’

‘I’m sorry. No, that was a lie. Don’t hit me!’

‘Like that could hurt you. I could throw a mule at you and you’d brush it off.’

‘You couldn’t lift a mule, let alone throw it.’

‘Jensen!’ Francis tried and failed to hide his grin. ‘ _Still_. Why?’

‘You said you didn’t like ships.’

‘No, I didn’t say that, even if it’s true. But I like busses less. These people are weird, Adam.’

‘They’re not talking to us anyway. They don’t speak our language. To answer your question, the jetty in Apatin was destroyed by an ice floe over a decade ago. Apparently, they couldn’t be arsed to repair it for the handful of crazy Germans that arrive every year or so. It’s not like Apatin is a metropolis.’

‘No shit. I just …’

‘You don’t want to transport your rather sensitive equipment in a bus that has to travel over bad roads.’

‘Exactly. God, you know me way too well.’

Adam smiled at him and brushed a thumb over his cheek. ‘No way. Let’s go. We don’t want to be late.’

They were among the last travellers to reach the bus, which meant they couldn’t find a seat near Johanna, who had wanted to talk with them about what would happen in Apatin exactly. The three agreed to re-arrange themselves after lunch in Pécs and make sure they could talk. Until then, Adam wasn’t too worried. There would be time enough.

Ϡ

Frank was one of the first people to get back inside the bus, followed by Johanna, who planted herself on her original seat. Frank sat behind her, waiting for Adam, who was at the front to buy water bottles.

Before he got anywhere near, and to Frank’s eternal astonishment, an aging, yellow-haired woman started yelling at him in a slightly guttural, odd variety of German. All he could do was stare at her and listen to the gibberish. ‘Sorry, Madam, I don’t understand a word,’ he told her, to make the point. It didn’t stop her for more than a moment. Instead, the other equally yellow woman on their bus – her sister, it had to be, they looked like it – joined her in her incomprehensible shouting. While Frank wondered what sort of person screamed at someone with such determination, even when it was clear that the target didn’t understand a single damn word, Johanna rose from her seat and yelled back. Adam came to them and stood there, exchanging a confused glance with Frank.

As soon as he was there, he was the focus of the sisters’ attention. Many people were cowed by his appearance. They had been before he’d been augmented, seeing how he was tall and muscular and could look menacing enough if he wanted to, but those two were unimpressed. Frank still didn’t understand much, but apparently the word _hanzer_  was the same in both languages.

Maybe Scotland and the peace there was had made him more sensible. Maybe it was just that it was Adam. He had no idea. But Frank blew a fuse. He practically jumped from his seat, standing almost a head taller than either of the women, and glared down at them. ‘Shut up, you absurd attack chickens.’ He hadn’t yelled. He never did. But they did gape at him, so maybe they did, in fact, understand him. ‘I don’t know what you want, and I don’t give a damn. Make space, you’re standing in the way and your hurting everyone’s ears. Now shoo. Get in your coop.’

Johanna was forcing herself not to laugh. When one of the siblings started to stutter something outraged at Francis, she failed. Badly. She let out a guffaw and said something in German again. The sisters went off to the front, faces scarlet under their yellow hair, probably to complain about them. Frank looked at their retreating backs. ‘What the hell was that about, even?’ he asked.

Johanna collected herself. ‘The seats. You took their seats.’

‘There is plenty of room. A bunch of people were sitting alone before, we just moved forwards two rows.’

‘No, you don’t understand.’ Johanna put on a very serious expression and held it for about two seconds. ‘These were their seats. You stole them. Those two, they take this trip regularly. They feel more entitled every damn year. This was very refreshing.’

‘Who were they even?’

‘Attack chickens, apparently. I don’t know their names.’

Adam watched them wistfully. ‘They don’t look happy at the result.’ As they passed them to take seats behind them, they snarled something incomprehensible at them. ‘Do we want to know?’

‘She said you two will never find wives.’

Frank burst into laughter. By the time he collected himself, they’d left Pécs behind. ‘So,’ Johanna said. ‘First of all … I want to invite you to my wedding tonight.’

Frank blinked. ‘Your what?’

Johanna made a face. ‘My wedding. I’m getting married to Ilya Grigorowich Mukhin. I want you to be there because the celebration will be at his house in Apatin.’

‘You look about as happy as someone going to their own execution,’ Adam observed.

‘Because that’s how it feels. I hate him. He says he loves me.’

‘He’s the guy, isn’t he?’ Frank said softly. ‘He’s the one we’ve been talking about. You’re pretending … this is insane, don’t do that.’

Johanna pursed her lips. ‘I have to. My family is fond of him, and if I want to find out anything about what he’s doing, I have to play along.’

‘I get that. To a point. But isn’t that a little drastic?’

‘He has some pretty serious security. I’ve planned this for a while, and I figured that this is the one way I could make sure I could get someone into his place so they can have a look at his computer. When this is all over, I’ll divorce him. Not that I’ll get much out of that, since everything he owns is stolen.’

‘I …’ Frank fell silent. ‘Well. Sure. It’s your decision.’ He thought of the plans for his and Adam’s wedding and tried to imagine getting married as part of sort of scheme. It sounded insane. ‘So. Apatin. What do we have to know?’

‘There’s not much to say about Apatin in terms of dos and don’ts. It’s officially a city but it looks like a village. Tonight you’ll be at Ilya’s house and hopefully find something. Tomorrow we – you two and I – will drive to our base. Ilya knows about that, by the way.’

‘Of course.’

‘If Apatin is at the arse end of nowhere, where we’re going is the butthole. Believe me. I’ll show you the factory. You see, Ilya thinks we’re all friends and that I want to hire you for our security. He knows that I had close contact with David Sarif, so it makes some sense. He … doesn’t like it, I know that much, even if he never really did protest.’

‘Do you believe that he is dangerous?’

‘No. He’s a rat. But he’s scared of his own shadow. Don’t worry about him. If I did hire you, he’d try to get everyone else to mob you until you give up.’

‘Sounds like someone I can deal with,’ Adam said with a small smile in Frank’s direction.

The hacker blushed crimson. ‘Never underestimate an enemy, Jensen. You’re not a cat and as far as I’m concerned, you’re on your fifth life.’

‘What?’

Frank started ticking off his fingers. ‘You were shot in the head, exploded, drowned, and had your brain fried in the vicinity of an angry turret. I think more of that will give me a heart attack.’

‘Francis, I never died. I mean, that first time, I was clinically dead, but …’

‘I don’t care. For all I knew, you were never coming back any of those times. So be careful. Even if you think he’s no more of a threat than I was, be careful.’

Adam cupped Frank’s face, and his frenzy ebbed away. ‘I’ll look after myself, Francis. I promise.’

Johanna looked from one to the other, her expression unreadable. ‘Caution is always a good idea. Ilya may not have the balls to do anything, but he has a few security people that are little more than thugs, I believe. I tried to persuade him to have them off the place for our wedding, but I don’t know if he agreed.’

Frank shook himself. ‘It … doesn’t matter. Adam can’t do this anyway.’ He stood and reached up to the rack above their seats where he’d stowed a laptop. ‘I’ll have to prepare a few things. If his private computer is connected to your intranet, then I only need a few moments to give us an opening, unless we’re very unlucky.’ A small smile tugged at his lips. ‘You should rent us a car, Jensen. Oh, and you will drive us to Johanna’s wedding. I’ll be inebriated.’

‘What?’

‘Is that your word of the day? Trust me.’

‘Speaking of which, you should call me Jo. My American friends do, and Ilya would find it strange if you didn’t.’ She frowned. ‘If you get drunk, can you still do whatever you want to do?’

Frank fired up his computer and grinned up at Johanna, who was glancing at him over the backrest of her seat. ‘Don’t worry. The less you know, the better you sleep, as your fiancé might say.’


	5. Halfway from Coal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _((Chapter heading is taken from the song_ Beat a Drum _by R.E.M. I had something else before but wasn’t entirely happy with it, and now my playlist helped me out. The mood of the song fits this extremely well.))_

They had two hours before they had to leave for Johanna’s wedding. Adam organised a car for them and in the meantime, Francis armed the room with cameras. If they got caught, they’d have quite some explaining to do, but the hacker had placed them so ingeniously that the only way someone might find them was by actively looking for something.

All this had taken them about a quarter of an hour. After that, they had time to admire the apartment. It had one central room with a large television and a couch that looked extremely comfortable. It was all soft, velvety cloth, even the armrests were cushioned rather than wood. To the right and the left, there were bedrooms for two. The one with an actual double bed looked out to the Danube. The central room even had a fish tank with colourful tropical fish. ‘If you decide to start a fight with me, there’s plenty of room to evade,’ Adam commented, joining Francis on the couch and finding out that it was every bit as comfy as it looked.

Francis gave him a wry glance. ‘What makes you think I’m the one who’s going to pick a fight?’

‘Years of knowing you?’ When nothing but a non-committal sound came for an answer, Adam looked at him. ‘Are you all right? You were weird on the bus, you know.’

‘First I get screamed at, and then I’m the one who’s weird.’

‘Those two weren’t weird. They’re crazy. Francis. Talk to me.’

The other man swallowed and looked at him. He reached out and brushed his fingers over the hexagonal mark on Adam’s forehead. ‘Every time I look at this, there’s this voice saying … he could have died. And if he had, you wouldn’t even have known what a wonderful man he is. You’d have lost him, and you wouldn’t have cried a single tear.’

‘Francis …’

A slow smile formed on his face. ‘I’m good. You’re here. Only sometimes I need to reassure myself. That’s when I touch you there. To remind myself that you’re okay and that I can never, not even for a second, stop appreciating how much it took for us to find each other.’

Adam swallowed. He knew that Francis was sometimes mesmerised by that particular souvenir from the attack on Sarif industries, but he hadn’t thought that there was more to it. Lost for words, Adam leaned closer and kissed Francis, brushing their lips together almost cautiously. Francis’s hands tugged at his clothes, pulling up his shirt, seeking the skin of his chest, his sides. His searching fingers found his nipples, pinching gently, and a moan escaped Adam. Almost hastily, he shed his shirt and pulled Francis’s off over his head, too. He hoisted the other man onto his lap so that he was straddled by the hacker’s lean legs. Panting slightly, Adam held him close, caressing his back and kissing his neck. ‘I have no doubts at all about how you feel,’ he told him. ‘I’ve never felt so loved in my life, Francis.’ He brought his lips to Francis’s ear and lowered his voice to almost a whisper, a deep rumble in his chest. ‘I’ve also never felt so wanted. That’s quite surreal, but still a fact.’

‘It’s not surreal.’ Francis pulled away a little so he could fiddle with Adam’s fly. ‘You’re so beautiful, Adam, I could stare at you for hours. And God, I love your scent. And your voice. Your voice is enough to either arouse me or to calm me down when I’m restless. You’re my rock, Jensen, and that I am yours, too, makes me so insanely happy.’

Francis blushed, but since Adam had opened his trousers and was palming his cock through his underwear, he was uncertain if the cause was his arousal or the admission. Careful not to hurt him, Adam pulled his hairband away, loosening the dark strands so that they framed his face. He brushed through them with his fingers, feeling the slight bumps on the side of his skull, betraying the cranial augmentations that were completely hidden from sight. Francis slipped off Adam’s lap and ditched his clothes. He knelt by his suitcase for a moment and returned with a bottle of lube. Adam chuckled. ‘You planned seducing me?’

‘I had no intention to be abstinent for more than a week. I’ve had enough abstinence before we got together.’

Adam was torn. He wanted to make love to Francis, to kiss him and lose himself in him. But he also wanted to take advantage of the fact that Francis volunteered information about _before_. He rarely did, evading most questions. It wasn’t so much that Adam needed to know everything, but he had a feeling that there was some detail that he wanted to say but didn’t know how. It wasn’t the first time Francis gave a vague hint, and it certainly wouldn’t be the first time he backpedalled before he said anything substantial. ‘Why was that? You don’t do one-night stands?’

‘That … no. More than enough. And I wasn’t being all that careful about my own health. But don’t worry, I was lucky enough not to get myself infected with anything gross.’

‘I know that, we’ve had that talk.’

‘Jensen, get out of those trousers. They’re in my way.’

Adam did as he was told, eyes locked on Francis’s. ‘At the risk of repeating myself, _talk to me_ , love.’

Francis sighed. He ran a hand up Adam’s arm, resting it on his shoulder with splayed fingers. He did that a lot, touching him where skin and augment joined. ‘I will. But not now. Okay?’

Adam relented. ‘Whenever you’re ready. We’ve got all our lives.’ He steered him to the couch, plucking the lube from him and squeezing a generous amount onto his left hand. He sat down and reached between Francis’s legs for his entrance with slick fingers. As he slid them into the warm opening, he sucked Francis’s cock into his mouth. He was rewarded by a moan and gentle fingers stroking his scalp. Francis stopped him soon, his breath already ragged. ‘I want to come with you inside me,’ he said.

Adam nodded. He spread more lubricant on his cock, and Francis lowered himself on top of him with closed eyes. He moved slowly, kissing Adam, cradling his head in both hands. Adam supported him with his hands on his buttocks, pulling them apart a little. Francis pushed himself all the way down, moving in small circles, keeping Adam buried to the hilt. Adam’s jaw slackened and he groaned, hands falling limp at his sides, relishing the feeling of being as close to the other man as was humanly possible. He could hardly breathe, the sensation soon becoming too intense. He sat upright and stood, pulling Francis with him without slipping out of him.

‘God, you’re strong,’ Francis said, looping his arms around Adam’s neck.

Adam pressed their foreheads together. ‘You’re a feather.’ He moved to the side of the sofa and placed Francis on it, his butt elevated slightly by the armrest. ‘And you’re gorgeous.’ He set a faster pace than before and closed his hand around Francis’s cock. ‘And I love you so much.’

Francis had his eyes fixed on his again, his hair fanned out around his head. Propping himself up a little to watch Adam sliding in and out of him, he caught his free hand and linked their fingers. Adam’s thrusts were starting to lose their rhythm, and Francis grinned up at him.

Adam saw the glint of mischief and nodded. ‘Have at it. Before you choke on whatever it is.’

Francis’s grin widened. ‘Come on, Jensen. Make me pregnant.’

Adam snorted. ‘Gonna do my best, up to you what you do with it.’ He closed his eyes and let go of Francis’s hand and his sex. Instead, he lifted his legs up, holding them together at one shoulder, and leaned down a bit for better leverage. Francis gasped at the sensation. A while ago, Adam might have been worried that he’d hurt him, but by now he knew that this was a sound of pure ecstasy and an indication that he was very close to finishing. His balls slapped wetly against Francis’s butt, once, twice, three times, before his release hit him. He ground against him, remaining deep inside, pulsing his seed into Francis’s gut. His partner followed him with a sharp intake of breath, clenching Adam tightly and milking the last drops from him while his finger groped almost helplessly about the fabric of their sofa.

Adam fought to catch his breath. He pulled Francis’s legs apart a little and placed them on either side of his head. Francis chuckled, bent his knees a little and framed Adam’s face with his feet. The augmented man placed a kiss on each big toe, smiling down at the normally neat man who was now in complete disarray. ‘Stay like that. I’ll fetch a towel.’

Francis did as he was told, legs in the air. He folded his arms under his neck and contemplated the ceiling with a mock-casual expression. ‘I feel ridiculous, lying around that way, you know.’

Adam found what he looked for only a few steps away in the closet. ‘You look like a sex god, if that’s any comfort.’

‘A little. Jensen, stop staring at me, we don’t have that much time left.’

‘We could tell Johanna we fell asleep.’ Adam obeyed anyway, placing a towel under Francis so he could move without ruining the sofa.

‘Best make a video call with your sweaty face and sex hair. She’ll certainly buy that.’

‘Point taken.’ Adam chanced a look at the clock on the wall. ‘We’ve still got time for a shower. An efficient one, sadly, but still.’

‘Let’s be efficient together, right?’

‘Right. Saving water is important.’

‘Very. Jensen?’

Adam took Francis’s hand and led him to the bathroom. ‘Hmm?’ He let the water run, waiting until it warmed up enough for comfort.

‘I love you, too. Just so you know.’

Adam closed the shower stall behind them both and placed a chaste kiss on Francis’s lips. ‘I’m one lucky bastard.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _((This was totally an accident. I didn’t mean for the chapter to go where it went. I wanted to fade out. Honest! Well. At least, it's out of my system. o.O))_


	6. Radio Silence

Frank had tied his still-wet hair back after a shower that wasn’t as brief as they had intended and unearthed the most formal looking clothing he had brought. The success of that was rather limited in the form of intact jeans and a dark grey t-shirt. Adam’s style was generally more elegant, so he wouldn’t look like a hobo that stumbled into the wedding by accident.

The address Johanna had given them was a mansion on the outskirts of Apatin. It had been built only two years ago when Ilya Mukhin had taken up permanent residence in the town.

Given the looks of Apatin itself, even the word town was an exaggeration. The place looked like a very wide-spread village. It didn’t have anything close to an urban feeling. Even Peterculter had more infrastructure, and that was saying something. Why anyone would want to live here was beyond Frank.

‘Will you look at that.’ They had come around a bend and were within sight of their destination. ‘Looks expensive, that’s certain. This Ilya has money.’

‘Which is probably the only reason why Johanna is doing this.’

‘Francis … am I the only one who thinks this is horribly sad?’

‘No. You’re not. Although before we were planning our own wedding, I’d probably have laughed.’

Adam parked their rented car on the side of the road. He took Frank’s hand on their short walk up to the entrance, intertwining their fingers. Johanna was standing on one side of the door, for all the world looking happy. Her short, green dress didn’t look like a wedding gown, but then again, this was only the feast. They had gone to the registry office alone with their witnesses.

The man next to her was interesting. He was tall and gangly and handsome enough. He had soft features with high cheekbones and generally looked like Johanna’s polar opposite. ‘Next to her, he looks like Slender Man,’ Frank said quietly.

‘I have no idea what you’re talking about, and I don’t think I want to know.’ Adam smiled. ‘Good evening, Jo. Добрый вечер, Ilya. Thank you for having us here, tonight.’

‘You are very welcome, my dears. Please, come inside. There are a couple of other guests we are still waiting for. Once they arrive, we’ll have dinner. The dining hall is the first door to the right.’

Adam led the way in. For a wedding, it seemed a subdued affair. There was no music, and people were talking in hushed voices. ‘Good inspiration for us, eh? How not to do this.’

‘We’re going to have a lot less people there. And I bet you my right hand that those few will be a lot louder than that bunch.’

‘Not difficult. I can be louder all on my own.’

‘Please don’t.’ Frank found their seats and sat awkwardly at a table with an old couple. They both looked sour.

‘Good evening’, Adam tried.

‘Nabend,’ the woman said.

Frank leaned close to Adam’s ear. The woman’s expression got even sourer. ‘Incidentally, what did you say to Ilya out there?’

‘The same. Good evening. I also used his first name, since we’re such good friends with Jo.’

Whatever answer Frank had in mind, he was interrupted by the door opening. A group of five young people came in. They, at least, seemed to have some spirit. One of them looked almost like a slightly younger copy of Ilya. Johanna and Ilya stood in the door, both smiling. Even though he knew that Johanna was pretending, it was hard to see through it. ‘Thank you again for joining us tonight. Dinner will be served in a few minutes. I know it was short notice, but we are glad that you came anyway.’

Ilya’s lips twitched and he put his arm around Johanna. ‘My sincere thanks, too. Please, don’t be so quiet. This isn’t a funeral. We’re celebrating Johanna and my love for each other.’ He pressed his lips to her cheek with a fond expression. ‘I look forward to getting to know all of you. As a start, the house is yours tonight. My security has the evening off, but what with us being so many, I’m sure we could fend off any invaders.’

Adam grinned. ‘That’s what he thinks.’

‘I don’t like this,’ Frank said quietly. ‘Call me paranoid, but there’s something going on we don’t know.’

‘What makes you think that?’

‘My gut.’

‘Is there any chance you’re going to tell me what you’ll do?’

‘Not now. After dinner.’ The five young people had taken up a table next to them. Ilya’s lookalike had embraced the groom and kissed his cheeks. ‘Do you trust me, Jensen?’

‘You know I do. Implicitly.’

‘Don’t forget it.’

The food they got was extremely good. They had ominous-looking red soup that was surprisingly delicious, various salads, something like tortellini with potato filling, and some weird rolled up, stuffed, and breaded meat. Apparently they were all typical Russian, Swabian, and Serbian foods, although Adam said that the soup, at least, wasn’t originally Russian. Ilya had sat at their table briefly, and the sour old couple had lit up a bit. His English was excellent, better than Johanna’s, and Frank had the impression that his German was good, too. Frank decided now was as good a time as any. Both their hosts were engaged in conversation with their guests, so maybe this was the ideal moment. He excused himself to the bathroom, making sure he had a small portable device with him that held his software.

Ϡ

Adam had known that Francis would slip away to try and put a bug on Ilya’s computer, so he didn’t worry too much when the hacker didn’t return after a couple of minutes. Francis had asked him not to look for him, so he remained where he was. He would contact him via infolink if he thought the entire thing was taking longer than it should, and if Francis failed to answer that, he’d go and find him, no matter what he’d promised before. Adam’s trust in Francis knew no bounds, but this house full of strangers was a different matter entirely.

He was spared from trying to make contact in secret by Ilya. The young man had returned to his table to chat with Adam, since he and Francis were the only guests he hadn’t met before. After a while, he took a glance at his watch. ‘Are you sure your friend is well? He’s been a while.’

Adam gave Ilya a look and wondered what Johanna had told him. He decided to give him the truth regardless. ‘He’s not my friend, exactly. He’s my fiancé.’

‘Oh? Oh! Even more so, then.’

Adam sighed. ‘Wait a moment. I’ll ask him. Francis? Francis …’ A pang of concern hit Adam. ‘He’s not answering.’

Ilya put a hand on his shoulder. ‘We’ll look for him. Come on.’

There were a number of reasons why Adam didn’t want anyone to come with him, let alone the man who was the target of what amounted to espionage. Still, he had little choice to do anything but follow him out of the dining room. ‘Pritchard, answer me. Ilya’s going to help me look for you. A hint where you are could help.’ Again, nothing. Adam swallowed drily.

‘I’ll check the bathroom,’ Ilya said. ‘I’ll only be a moment.’ The young man returned after a few seconds. ‘No. Odd.’ He scratched his head. ‘Hey, Dima!’ He gestured to someone in the dining hall, and his lookalike joined them. ‘Adam, this is my brother Dima.’ Ilya continued talking in rapid Russian, and Dima walked briskly to the far end of the corridor. ‘A while ago, my brother in law had a heart attack in this house. I’m damaged from that. Oh, this isn’t what you want to hear right now.’

Despite his concern, Adam watched Ilya closely. If he was acting, he was doing a good job. He seemed flustered and genuinely worried. The social enhancer seemed to agree. Ilya was troubled. They started checking the rooms on their end of the hall. After a few moments, they heard a call from Dima. ‘Library?’ Ilya said. ‘What in the world …’

Adam’s heart was racing. He sped ahead of Ilya and past Dima who looked like he was forcing himself not to laugh. The moment he was inside the library, he stopped dead. Francis was on the floor, leaning against a bookcase. Next to him he had a bottle of God-knew-what. ‘Oh God.’

Ilya bit his lower lip. His control held for about two seconds. Then he snorted. ‘О Боже.’ He picked up the bottle. ‘Someone sacrificed himself at last. This is the most terrible Slivovitz in all of Serbia.’

Still concerned, Adam knelt next to him. ‘Francis? Francis! Damn it.’ He patted his cheek, and Francis jerked awake.

‘Sup?’

Adam shook his head. ‘We’re leaving … Ilya … I’m sorry.’

The Russian grinned. ‘No problem. I’ll tell Johanna you had to go. I hear that you’re going to join our business? But … best not discuss this tonight.’

Adam scratched his head. ‘Don’t judge him, I’ve never seen him drunk before. I haven’t the faintest idea what he was thinking.’

Ilya laughed. ‘Maybe he needed a reason to get out? It’s okay. Just take care of him, right?’

‘Right.’ Adam tilted Francis’s face up so that he looked at him. ‘Can you help me, do you think?’

‘Helpyazhwhat?’

Adam rolled his eyes. ‘Never mind.’

Ϡ

On their drive back to the hotel, Francis was hanging in the seat like a drowned person. Adam wondered briefly if a hospital wasn’t a better idea, but when talked to, Francis responded, so he decided to just look after him and call help when he needed it. He was torn between worry, exasperation, and amusement. A few people at Sarif Industries had occasionally indulged themselves during workhours. Once, Adam had to remove a couple of guys that had thought it was a good idea to get drunk in the early afternoon in a storage area. They had been told not to bother coming back in to work. Francis had been the one who’d found out about them before this. His eyes and ears had been everywhere and he had reported them to Adam in case they became a problem. His repulsion of their behaviour, even when it was still harmless enough, had been very apparent.

Even now, he practically never drank. He’d once tried some rum Fabian had brought, but he normally just didn’t do this. He was also a lightweight, he said, so an entire bottle of Slivovitz was enough to be a real problem. On the other hand, a lot of that seemed to be on him rather than in him. He stopped the car at their hotel. ‘Francis, we’re there.’ The reply was barely more than a grunt. Adam helped him out of the car and up to their floor. The receptionist hid her laughter as badly as Ilya. Adam kicked the door to their apartment close behind them and led Francis straight to the bed. He collapsed on it in a heap, and Adam arranged him in a less awkward position before he took a few moments to look out of the window into the night. It was strange. During their drive, he had tried to take a reading with the CASIE, hoping it could help him decide whether to take him to hospital or not. The result wasn’t satisfying. A drunk person should give a rather low reading on all levels, but it had been all over the place. Francis was nervous. He was leaning against the door of the car, pretty much passed out, and nervous. It made no sense.

‘Thanks for the help, Jensen.’ Adam spun and found his fiancé sitting on the bed with a shit-eating grin. ‘You bought it, didn’t you?’

‘What the hell?’

‘I nearly got caught. I placed a little bit of rather inconspicuous software on Ilya’s computer when that serving girl spotted me. I was done already, and I had grabbed the bottle in advance. In case someone found me, you see.’

‘Drinking the host’s bad booze is better than hacking his computer. I agree.’

‘Pouring it down my front, too.’ Francis shed the shirt. ‘Now I need to shower again. Anyway, I wandered around with my bottle a bit and decided the library was a good place to wait. Inconspicuous, too.’

‘Pritchard, I was scared when you didn’t answer.’

‘I know. I needed you to worry.’

‘That’s nice.’

‘Jensen, think. We don’t know the first thing about Ilya. What if he has a social enhancer, too?’

Adam opened his mouth and closed it. ‘That didn’t even occur to me. You’re right.’

Francis held his shirt away from himself with two fingers. ‘I think I’m half drunk from smelling this. God. I’ll just try and wash this a bit. And myself. I can’t sleep with booze in my nose.’ His lips twitched. ‘It worked, though. We’re in. Tomorrow I’ll check if my rootkit is doing us any good.’ He glared at the shirt. ‘And once I’m done with this thing, I’m going to sleep. I swear I’m drunk from wearing this.’

Adam stripped off his clothes and tried to find sleep. Instead, he found himself staring into the dark until Francis crawled into bed with him. ‘What’s wrong, Adam? Can I help?’ he asked softly, cupping his face and caressing his cheek with a thumb.

Adam turned his head a bit to kiss Francis’s hand. ‘You always help. It’s Ilya. Francis … He seems like a decent guy.’

‘You all fell for my show.’                                              

‘Yes. But not the CASIE. I knew something was wrong about you, you were much too agitated for someone stone drunk. His concern was real.’ He turned to his side and looked at Francis. ‘I think we should be careful here. We know Johanna is friends with David, and we know she doesn’t trust Ilya. But my gut agrees with yours. Something doesn’t add up.’

‘You think she’s lying?’

‘I think it’s more likely she’s just plain wrong. She detests him, so she believes he’s the one trying to hurt her company.’

Francis nodded slowly. ‘You’re right. All we have is the word of a biased person.’

Adam pulled Francis against him with his back to his chest. He sighed and closed his eyes, basking in the feeling of Francis’s warm skin against his body. That alone was enough to give him the peace he needed to sleep. ‘Good night, my love.’

‘Night, Adam. Oh, and thank you.’

‘For what?’

‘Being perfectly civil when you thought I was drunk enough never to remember a thing. You had every right to be mad at me.’

‘Go to sleep. I need to plan my revenge in peace. If for nothing else, for the fact that you kept your charade up for so long.’

Francis laughed. It was infectious to hear him do it, always, without failure. Adam hugged him even closer and grinned against the back of Francis’s head, digging his nose into his soft hair. ‘I thought it’s best if there are witnesses,’ Francis explained. ‘If Ilya asks in the hotel, the receptionist will have seen me being half carried by you.’

‘Stop making sense. I’m going to think of something. Just wait for it.’


End file.
